Pieces of the Heart
by evenflo78
Summary: After Elizabeth watches Will sail away on the Dutchman, she discovers she is not alone on the island. Someone has come back for her. Someone that will always have a place in her heart. AU/ but canon compliant. First POTC fic, feedback welcome!


**A/N: This is just a little one-shot. A missing scene from AWE, if you will. How many times has that been done before? Yeah, I know, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to just dip my toe in the fandom and see how it goes. Please tell me what you think.**

**A thousand thank you's to my beta ****Krismom**** who puts up with me flip-flopping through fandom's like the pages of a book. She is awesomesauce! And to my pre-readers ****Smfogleman ****and ****A Redhead Thing****…I love you both dearly. You squashed all the insecurities I had about posting this!**

**Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I didn't own them, but let me check again…Nope, still don't, sadly.**

Her eyes were on The Dutchman as the sun dipped below the ocean, and with a flash of green, her beloved was gone, never to be seen again, save for one day every ten years. Oh, she had heard the legends. If she were to stay true and be there to greet him upon his return after ten long years, then he would be free of the curse.

Free to resume his life as her husband.

And she would be there. She could sacrifice her freedom as he had done (albeit unintentionally, even if it had been his plan all along) and wait for his return in ten excruciatingly long years. She could let her desire to sail the open seas, free from society's rules and expectations, sit idly in the back of her heart and mind for as long as her beloved was cursed to ferry the souls of those lost at sea.

She could.

She would.

Her thoughts saddened her, oh, how she would miss him. But she would sacrifice her freedom, if only for him. In fact, simply for him. Truly and indubitably for him alone.

Only for Will.

Her gaze was locked on the horizon, and though she knew he wouldn't be coming back, she couldn't help but to hope for one last glimpse, that was until it became almost too dark for her to see. Elizabeth hadn't realized exactly how long she had been wallowing in her own self-pity, but the sky was black as coal, sprinkled with dust of the stars, and the chilly air coming from the sea caused her to shiver.

She needed to find shelter. It was going to be a cold night. As cold as the blood in her veins and the heart in her chest, it was. She shivered at the thought.

_When did I become so macabre?_

Will had left her in charge of his heart stating that it belonged to her anyway. Truthfully though, as he sailed off into the horizon, he took a piece of her heart along with him. Elizabeth knew her heart was in safe hands with Will, and secretly prayed she could guard his as well as she knew he would hers.

So lost in her thoughts, she hadn't realized she was being watched.

A snap of a twig in the brush alerted her to the fact.

With her cutlass in hand, she surveyed the tree line with narrowed eyes and open ears, her muscles coiled and tense, ready to react. A shift in the wind piqued her senses, the tinkling of metal, the scent of rum, the stench of sweat and blood. Her eyes narrowed further, she knew exactly who that was.

Stepping towards the brush, Elizabeth called out, "Jack," but received no reply. "Jack, where are you?"

With a rustle of fabric and a whispered swear, she heard him retreating further into the dense area and took off after him.

"Jack, you coward, show yourself!" She could have sworn she heard a whispered_, 'Captain,_' in the darkness, but it could have just been her imagination filling in what she knew he would say. Her inner Jack, as it were. She laughed at her thoughts. "Jack, what are you doing here?"

Surely all her attempts wouldn't be in vain. Then again, this was Jack Sparrow she was chasing; nothing with him was ever simple.

"Not here." She heard him whisper as she raced behind him in the trees. "Imagination, it must be."

She snorted, a very un-ladylike sound, she thought. "And I suppose my imagination has your uncanny ability to irritate me with a mere two sentences?"

"Don't rightly know, luv. Why don't you consult that imaginatively imagination of your said imaginings."

Aha! She was faster than him, having been on land for longer and not suffering from a constant drunken and sea weary gait. Elizabeth gripped his arm before he could slip around the big tree separating them.

"Jack!"

"Oi," he squeaked, startled. "Bugger!" He grumbled repeatedly, as he tried to tug his arm from her grasp. Even in the darkness of the thin brush she could see the pout form on his face and his eyes purposefully avoiding hers by searching the trees for an escape.

Always looking for a way out Elizabeth thought wryly.

"What are you doing here, Jack?" Elizabeth asked, finally releasing his arm as he gave up the struggle.

"Mister Gibbs." Was all he offered.

"Beg pardon." She asked looking around as if he would waltz through the trees at any moment.

"Mister Gibbs, being the emotional sod that 'e is," Jack grimaced, "insisted on checkin' up on ye."

"And where might he be, Jack?" Elizabeth insisted, her hands planted firmly on her hips and a knowing smirk on her face.

"Ah, Me bein' the fine Capt'n that I am," Jack stated proudly, his thumbs hooking under the lapel of his coat. "I assured Mister Gibbs that I would see to yer well-being meself."

Jack's eyes ran over Elizabeth's scantily clad form and she narrowly resisted the urge to fidget or squirm at the intensity of his gaze. But she was a stubborn woman and she wouldn't give Jack the pleasure of knowing he had any effect on her, whatsoever. Not that he did.

"Now, seeing as yer being is…" Jack scratched at his moustache for a moment as if pondering his next words, though he was simply appreciating the glimpses of her thighs as the wind lifted her skirt tail in taunting little flips. "Well… precisely well, I'll just be on me way."

"Jack!" Elizabeth shrieked louder than she would have liked, grabbing him by his retreating shoulder. "Why did you really come, Jack?"

Her voice was a low whisper floating on the wind as she took two steps forward, her eyes searching Jack's as if the answer would be written in them. Truthfully, she was a little afraid of what his motivation was for coming to check on her. A little afraid that it meant something horrid had happened, or would happen, and a lot afraid that it was a matter of the heart.

That was something she definitely did not want to deal with. Though there was the wretched part of her that hoped, that longed for him to say the words that would set her free. Jack Sparrow had always made her question her own heart, especially when it came to him, and that temptation could prove to be her undoing.

No, she couldn't even think such selfish things.

Elizabeth wasn't sure how long they stood in silence, but as she looked from her hand on Jack's shoulder to his eyes once again, she stopped breathing all together. His expression unlike anything she had ever experienced when it came to Jack. So pained, so open, so soft and trusting and soul-crushing.

"Lizbeth, Lizzie…" The emotion evident in his whisper was enough to form a lump in her throat.

Jack's hand moved to brush the errant wisps of her hair from her face and Elizabeth fought hard not to lean into his touch. So warm, so there, so tempting, so…wrong. She closed her eyes.

"Come with me." His voice was so soft; Elizabeth thought she may have imagined it. "Come with me, 'Lizbeth." Jack was pleading and demanding, and the vulnerability evident in his tone broke her heart.

"Jack?" She was hoping to convey the plethora of questions, fears, and conflicting emotions with only his name. "I…" No words would come to her.

She finally succumbed and leaned into his touch when his hand cupped her cheek, and the shudder than ran through her body wasn't only from the heat of his gentle caress, but the feel of his breath mingling with her own.

He was close now. So close. And yet, she knew she couldn't ever erase the space between them. But oh, how she longed to. If only for a moment. They had shared their one kiss and it had meant his demise, even if only momentarily.

Just once more, she thought. He was right there. His mouth begging to be explored by hers.

So close.

Yet, so far away.

"We can see the world, Lizbeth." She shivered beneath his touch. So soft, it could barely be called a touch. But the tingling, the electricity, the heat she felt, ran through her entire body, awakening her, giving her life. "Be a part of me crew. Be free."

How easy for her it would be to say yes. To let go and be free, to travel the sea, with nothing but the clothes on her back, the salty sea spraying her face, the wind in her hair. She smiled at the thought.

But it couldn't be. It was a girlish dream, and it could never become her reality, no matter how much she longed for it. She was Will's. She'd chosen her future. She'd chosen a different dream. The responsible one. The right one.

She just had to convince herself of the fact.

And she had ten years in which to do it.

"Will," was her excuse, her reason, her logic and it was sound. She knew Jack wouldn't argue it and when he released her face, Elizabeth choked back the feeling of regret. The feeling of loss.

_It would've never worked out between us._

It played over and over in her head, like a mockingbird. Over and over and over. And she knew it to be nothing but the truth. Selfish creatures the both of them were, her and Jack. Danger would find them and one would sacrifice the other to guarantee their own safety. She knew that, but couldn't help but to think that maybe, just maybe, she was wrong.

"M'not asking for anythin' else, luv." Jack said, his voice defeated, strained and Elizabeth's heart lurched into her throat.

Sure, he wasn't asking for it NOW, but he would, or she would. And it would be too easy, oh, so easy, to give in, to taste it, to quench her curiosity.

Maybe not right away, maybe it would be years before she gave in to her selfish desires, to his unrelenting advances, but it would only be a matter of time. Her will was strong, but not impeccable. She would weaken eventually, and then all would be lost.

No, she had to stay ashore. She had to be strong while she still had the will, for Will.

"Goodbye, Jack." A whisper in the wind but it shattered a piece of her soul when it fell from her lips. "May the gods fill your sails with strong winds and safe waters." Her voice was stronger now, but her eyes refused to open, the tears fought to fall, but acknowledge them, she would not.

"Aye." Jack said before taking a step backwards.

She could hear the retreating steps, fading in their distance; and fought to keep herself upright, fought the trembling in her lips, the scream in her throat, the hole in her heart, at least until she couldn't hear Jack anymore.

She wouldn't let him know how much it pained her to let him go, to say those words.

Quickened footsteps drawing nearer to her, forced Elizabeth's eyes open.

"Jack?" She questioned when he broke through the darkness of the surrounding trees.

But he said nothing.

The air left her lungs as his body crashed into her with the force of a thousand winds. His arm wrapping around her waist as the other tangled in her hair, guiding her, controlling her. Elizabeth surrendered the moment his mouth crashed against hers.

There was nothing else in that moment. The heat from his lips, the sweetness of his tongue, the smell of the sea in his hair, the feeling of freedom in her soul were all that existed.

Her arms encased him, holding on to him as if her life depended on it. Elizabeth gave herself over to his kiss, because she knew it would be their last. The tears fell freely as she wove her fingers into his hair. Both of their mouths moved desperately against the other, tasting, exploring, memorizing, treasuring, cherishing, their final and brief moment.

His hand moved to her thigh and Elizabeth wrapped it around him willingly, wanting to get closer still. But it would never be close enough. She could get lost in him, be one with him, again and again and again.

All she had to do was say the words.

But she didn't.

When he broke away from her, breathless, nothing but their heavy breathing was said to fill the silence. The choice was hers, and she had made it.

As suddenly as he had come, Jack was gone.

And when there was nothing but the sounds of the woods to fill the silence, Elizabeth could have sworn she heard her heart breaking.

Jack had walked away with what was remaining of her heart, and it was a piece that she knew would never come back. She had willingly ripped the heart from her own chest and watched it walk away with Jack as silent as death itself.

Her body slumped to the moist earth beneath her feet and she cried.

Pieces.

Pieces were all that was left.

She found her repose knowing that at least her heart was at sea.

With Jack.

With Will.

Will would return in ten years, bringing back a piece of her heart.

She just hoped that it was enough.

**A/N: Reviews are like air, I need them. I love them. Good, bad, indifferent, constructive, I cherish them all. I'd really love to hear what you thought. All you have to do is press that little button down there. It doesn't bite. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**If you liked this, then be sure to keep an eye out for a multi-chapter coming soon. It is already in the works.**

**MUAWWW!**


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